At first glance, it seems like a lullaby for children but to the series, it means a lot deeper about personalities and more importantly, family ties. It's a beautiful song and it really complements the theme of one of KyoAni's most successful creation.

Ayako Ikeda - Sora no Kakera (Dennou Coil)

It's not an extraordinary song per se, but it's one of those songs that modest yet powerful. Plus, the sequence features one of my favourite mutts in anime.

It's incredible how the episodes end with glimpses of pages from the storybook that influenced the titular character's development. Plus, the meaningful lyrics and haunting music adds perfectly to the atmosphere of the series.

Reiko Yasuhara - Lullaby (Now and Then, Here and There)

It's a timeless modern classic where the pictures of a serene neighborhood and a poignant song gives contrast to what's happening in the story. Seriously, an ending sequence like this doesn't come by very often.

Apart from We Are~!, I think this one comes in second place for the best opening song for an adventurous anime series such as One Piece - vibrant, fresh and a lot of fun, something One Piece is generally about.

By the time I first laid eyes on this opening, the only anime OPs I saw had been a couple for Pokemon and Digimon, and Tank from Cowboy Bebop. And upon viewing, I was just blown away. This is exactly how you do a non-vocal opening.

While the ending songs to the movies are amazing, endings to Gundam series just don't hold the same flair or emotional power as the openings. This is the exception to the rule. While 00 is a series of extraneous dialog and dry presentation, what it managed to say with its animation goes beyond what any other Gundam has managed to do to this day. This was a series that delved into the characters the best through images as opposed to words, and this ending shows that all in stride with such beautiful music accompanying it.

I absolutely love the Gungrave soundtrack. The use of the violin, of course, makes it especially moving and sexy. The ending has an amazing violing solo, but I don't really care for the vocals. The openiing, on the other hand, unfortunately has no sexy violin solo. But it makes up for it with its imagery and style. The writing on the wall is especially well directed.

This opening gets points, A, for using the name of the setting from one of my favorite books, and B, for being so effectively angsty. This song has a unique sound to it, which is, if anything, off-putting at first. But as the story and characters grew on me, so did the song.

Makura no Soshi - Akai Usagi (Mugen no Junin/Blade of the Immortal) - It is not so much the song itself that really makes this OP. On the other hand, it does fit in despite the actual full version sucking ass. The animation sequence really gives this hypnotic feel due to the fluid action and imagery. I actually think its pretty creative and it really disappoints me how Beetrain had to mess up the actual series itself.

Aki Okui - Tsuki no Mayu (Turn-A Gundam) - This was sung beautifully and while I am not digging the animation sequence so much (despite thematics), it is cool. You can tell Aki Okui was trying to actually put some soul into that song and that is a good thing. Lalalu Lalalu.

Rin' - Fuhen (Samurai 7) - The sound is serene and comforting as it is fittingly sung by a Japanese Folk-genre specialist in Rin'. The instrumentals also give a form of credible authenticity to the very show it closes.

HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR - Ichirin no Hana (Bleach) - It is my favorite Bleach song and I don't care what others say on this one. Yeah, of course the show and manga suck complete balls. But, at least the song was cool and the animation sequence was fun to watch too.

Masami Okui - Rinbu Revolution (Shojo Kakumei Utena/Revolutionary Girl Utena) - This is just a catchy, uplifting, smart song about femininity. Granted, I don't like Utena as much as I used to. However, this song is just a good listen from back in the day.

Mika Arisaka - Getsumei Fuuei (Juuni Kokuki/The Twelve Kingdoms) - Getting past the cheesy video game-like intro, the song is good. Not to mention, I liked the progression of the carriage wheel spinning with changing backgrounds as well.

This post looked like it needed some new life. A lot has happened in the past 5 years, so I figured I'd mention just a few highlight.

Unravel by TKTokyo Ghoul OP

One of the best OPs anime's ever seen; the music fits perfectly with the song's message, which together compliment the anime perfectly. The semi-psychotic sound of TK's voice is on point. Now, if only the anime could have lived up to the level of it's OP...

Trust Me by Yuya MatsushitaDurarara ED

What a way to turn a generic ED slide into something special. That Engrish was something else.

Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari by SupercellBakemonogatari ED

A show that was sandwiched by a fantastic pair of OP/EDs. The ED was special because it's animations were so 'wth-is-happening,' which is why it went so well with such a 'wth-is-happening' show.

Sister's Noise by FripsideTo aru Kagaku no Railgun Op 1

Either OP could've gone here, I just picked this one cuz it was first. Also, kudos to Elisa for wrapping up the show with such a sweet and cute ED (Dear My Friend).

While I don't love Your Lie in April that much, I cannot deny that this one has the best OP of 2014 because:1. The palettes used are really pretty. Prettier than a top class KyoAni pretty to be honest.2. The song itself is a catchy one. It sounds like a lost 90's gem.

Golden Time Lover Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Opening 3

It is a mix of an already rocking song and an awesome animation sequence in the chorus, so I killed the replay button when I saw that the first time.

Sakamichi No Melody Yuki, Sakamichi no Apollon Opening

Those floating notes during the OP and (my bias) with Yuki songs. I ended up dancing that one even if I don't really know that song.

Platinum Disco Nisemonogatari OP 2

Who hasn't tried the Tsukihi dance?

« Last Edit: August 11, 2015, 03:13:29 AM by samui »

Logged

I am not sure if good animes are getting fewer these days or my taste has gone numb because most of what I watch recently look the same.

A really great debut for Maaya Sakamoto and to this day my favorite intro ever. I love the fluid animation quality on the guymelefs battling and their capes flowing in the wind and just Hitomi's whole journey through the opening.

What can I say really, the narrator pretty much tells the story as the cast takes part in the narration until eventually it syncs up with Daisuku running on to the scene to call Giant Robo. It pretty much tells you everything you need to know and is downright old school epic to boot.

Again I love how it just kind of tells the story of when Oji was young and a rock star god and then we see how it was through his eyes with the whole rotoscopped sequence of a real John Sykes (Thin Lizzy) concert.

The syncing of this old school power ballad with the scenes is again top notch stuff to me. I also just kind of find the song itself iconic and a bittersweet way to leave off a pretty bittersweet chapter in U.C

The super mellow song played over images of characters exploding into ducks emphasizing their status as fake existences and how it's all fleeting is kind of haunting in a way. This might actually be my favorite ending theme at this current moment in time.

I generally pick OP by how they describe the show and by how good they are as a standalone. This one is great; goes with the show perfectly, and is exhilerating to listen to.

Kyōran Hey Kids!! by THE ORAL CIGARETTESNoragami Aragoto OP

This song is legitimately one of my favorite OPs of the year. Every single instrument is well thought out, and the beat during the full song is so fricking good. I can't get enough of it.

Nirvana by Tia (Supercell)Noragami Aragoto ED

Sooooo cute. And the old-time flute goes with the story about gods so well.

Ichirin no Hana by High and Mighty ColorBleach OP 3

Ok, I'm gonna be perfectly honest, I think almost all the Bleach openings are great. I mean, how many shows can boast an appearance from YUI, Asian Kung-fu Generation, Aqua Timez, and Scandal? The only thing that could've topped it off is an OP from Flow. I picked this one because it's not at all typical for a shounen anime. Heavy metal w/ a bit of screaming on a mainstream shounen anime!?. That's something to be applauded.